Have you ever dreamed of being a Hollywood director, handed a project to deliver under budget and before anyone else?
Now’s your chance to call the shots with Movie Maker! This DIY movie night combines delicious snacks, a creative dice/card game, and plenty of laughs for an evening worthy of an Oscar.
Whether you’re hosting friends or flying solo, this event is your ticket to a blockbuster night at home.
The Snacks: A Theater-Style Feast
First things first — no movie night is complete without the perfect snacks. Create your own theater-inspired concession stand with these crowd-pleasers:
Popcorn Bar: Start with plain popcorn and top it with butter, Parmesan cheese, cinnamon sugar, or even chocolate or caramel drizzle.
Candy Boxes: Think Milk Duds, Raisinets, and Twizzlers.
Savory Picks: Mini hot dogs (pigs in a blanket), nachos with cheese and jalapeños, and small pizza slices.
Drinks: Keep it classic with soda and flavored water or get fancy with movie-inspired cocktails or mocktails (e.g., “Shirley Temple” or “Hollywood Spritz”).
Now that you’ve got the snacks, it’s time for the main event: the game!
The Game: Movie Maker
Objective:
Create the most entertaining movie by rolling dice to assemble your cast, genre, plot, and budget. Be the first to complete your movie to win!
What You’ll Need:
Five six-sided dice or a dice rolling app on your phone
A deck of standard playing cards (including Jokers)
A notebook or “movie slate” for tracking progress
Setup:
Each player gets a blank “movie slate” divided into four categories:
Genre
Budget
Plot Twist
Star
How to Play:
1. Roll the Dice to Determine Movie Elements
Each player rolls 4 dice, assigning one die to each of the four categories:
Example a player rolls the four dice and gets a 2, a 3, a 5 and a 1.
Using the following chart he has decided to use the 2 as a Shoestring Budget, the 3 for an Action Movie, the 5 for lead actor His Weird Uncle Slappy, and the 1 makes the plot twist that Aliens Invade.
So he is about to direct an action movie on a shoestring budget starring his weird Uncle Slappy where the plot twist is when aliens invade.
Genre:
Roll
1-2 = Comedy
3-4 = Action
5-6 = Sci-Fi
Lead Actor:
Roll
1-2 = A-list
3-4 = B-list
5-6 = Weird Uncle Slappy
Plot Twist:
Roll
1-2 = Aliens Invade
3-4 = Hero Actually Villain
5-6 = Race Against Time
Budget:
Roll
1-2 = Shoestring
3-4 = Modest
5-6 = Blockbuster
2. Playing the Card Game
Deal each player 4 cards. Players can never hold more than 4 cards at a time. Discard extras immediately.
Players can lay cards face-up in their “movie slate” as they collect them.
To complete a movie, a player needs one card from each category (Genre, Budget, Plot Twist, Star).
What the cards represent in each category:
Genre:
Cards
2s = Comedy
3s = Action
4s = Sci-Fi
Budget:
Cards
5s = Shoestring Budget
6s = Modest Budget
7s = Blockbuster
Plot Twist:
Cards
8s = Aliens Invade
9s = Hero Actually Villain
10s = Race Against Time
Star:
Cards
Kings = A-list Star
Queens = B-list Star
Jacks = Weird Uncle
So to complete his movie he would have to lay face up any 3 (action movie), any 5 (shoestring budget) , any 8 (aliens invade) and any Jack (his weird Uncle Slappy)
On their turn, players draw one card from the draw pile and attempt to create their movie. At the end of their turn, they must discard one card to ensure their hand never exceeds four cards. If a player’s hand has fewer than four cards, they are not required to discard.
3. Special cards:
Aces: Wild cards (can be used in any of the four categories).
Jokers: Used to steal a face-up card from another player.
4. Winning the Game
The first player to complete their movie (with all four categories filled) wins.
Optional: Players can pitch their movie to others for bonus fun!
Solo Play Version
Roll the dice to determine your movie elements.
Deal 5 cards face-up to form the “Bad Guy’s Hand.”
Play as usual, but discarded cards are added to the Bad Guy’s Hand.
Bad Guy’s Hand can’t exceed 5 cards, discard strategically to ensure bad guy doesn’t have all four categories.
If the Bad Guy completes a movie before you, you lose.
Optional Stuff Anything Goes!
Feel free to mix things up and make it more fun! Instead of categorizing them as A-list or B-list actors, imagine Jeff Bezos starring in a romantic comedy or Elon Musk attempting Shakespeare. The more absurd, the better!
